KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presented journalists a new version of a peace plan Wednesday that suggests he is open to withdrawing troops from eastern Ukraine to create a demilitarized zone if Russia agrees to do the same as part of a settlement to end the war.
It is the first time Zelensky has inched toward any sort of compromise on the issue of territory in the eastern Donbas region, which Russia has demanded full control of despite failing to take several major cities militarily. The issue of territory remains one of the most contentious in discussions, with Ukraine arguing that giving up its land will only embolden Russia to attack again.
The 20-point draft Zelensky publicized Wednesday is far from final and has not been agreed to by Russia, which will probably oppose several major points, including the demand for both sides to withdraw their forces from Ukraine’s east.
The document is the latest iteration of a proposal to end the war after weeks of difficult negotiations following a U.S. threat last month to cut off all support for Ukraine unless the country signed on to a 28-point version that made major concessions to Russia.
That warning triggered a diplomatic frenzy, including many meetings between a Ukrainian delegation and President Donald Trump’s negotiators, including special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The latest plan makes clear that Ukraine continues to oppose the idea that it would be forced to withdraw its troops but would consider doing so as part of a “mirror withdrawal of forces.” The goal would be to create a free economic zone that is not controlled by either military, Zelensky said.
Any such agreement, however, would require a national referendum, which would be difficult to organize without a ceasefire in place.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not respond to specific points in the plan Wednesday but told journalists that Russia’s main demands “are well known to our colleagues in the U.S.”
Russia intends “to formulate our further position and continue our contacts in the very near future through the existing channels that are currently working.”
Anastacia Galouchka in Kyiv and Natalia Abbakumova in Riga contributed to this report.
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